Ariadne

WE HAVE all heard remarks that suddenly pierce the ordinary level of conversation, syllables shot like arrows into the ear. Then the conversation flows on, swamping the context or explanation attached to the electrifying fragment and leaving the hearer transfixed.

For example, a sentence caught from a conversation between two waiters in a restaurant; 'I told you he'd eat it.' Or, one from two women chatting while getting off a bus, 'So I said I'm not having a bloody gecko in here.' A snatch of conversation of this astonishing sort winged into my head the other night at a dinner table. It was, 'She's just been to the North Pole and she says that the hole in the ozone layer is already doing things to the Eskimos. They are all coming out in sores.' The rest of the exchange was drowned out in the clatter of crockery and the chatter ...

To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.

To continue reading this article, log in or subscribe to New Scientist

App + web

Web

Smartphone

Tablet

$25.99 - Save 65%

12 issues for $2.17 per issue

with continuous service

Print + web

Print

Web

$28.99 - Save 61%

12 issues for $2.42 per issue

with continuous service

Print + app + web

Print

Web

Smartphone

Tablet

$39.99 - Save 73%

12 issues for $3.33 per issue

with continuous service

Web

Web only

$49.99

30 day web pass

Prices may vary according to delivery country and associated local taxes.